


Sinful Pride

by aquaticurry



Category: Original Work
Genre: Canon Gay Relationship, Fantasy, Gay Male Character, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Themes, M/M, Major Original Character(s), Minor Original Character(s), NaNoWriMo, Original Character(s), Original Character-centric, Original Fiction, Religious Imagery & Symbolism, Romance, Romance Novel, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-03
Updated: 2018-02-23
Packaged: 2019-02-27 11:30:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 21,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13247313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aquaticurry/pseuds/aquaticurry
Summary: Lars, a 21 year old graduate just getting out of college and moving to the shabby city of Stocktown, California. He's nervous, but a peculiar job and his new boss offer new beginnings.





	1. Preface

So, uh, you've found my book.  
To start off, I hope you enjoy. I haven't really shown this to anyone yet as of now; anyone meaning friends, family, professional critics, etcetera ectetera. This is a first draft. It will be uploaded as I finish it, and maybe it'll be taken further.  
NaNoWriMo -- the challenge writers, authors, and people in general take on every November, with the goal to write up an entire novel in only thirty days. Or, at least, surpass a word-count goal. It's certainly fun, and great to express a long held concept, or just let your mind mold it all as your fingers peck at the keyboard, working away to the eventual end. But, creativity doesn't really have an age, does it? That's what the Young Writer's Program is for.  
Well, the thing that got me into this National Novel Writing Month event was my English teacher. I've always enjoyed writing and coming up with my own stories, and I think it's safe to say I'm rather skilled in it. My first work was a fantasy series (heavily) based upon the many exciting traits and tropes of Erin Hunter's _Warriors_ trilogy. In my many days scouring through fandoms and social media, I've written pieces of what could be considered fanfiction. I've always loved coming up with fan characters and alternate universes for the things I invest myself in, but I thought now would be the time to come up with something original and actually do something with it.  
With this ambition comes the need for an idea, a concept. A story, a plot. A protagonist, a villain, supporting characters, so on and so forth.  
I've always had an interest in horror, mainly religion-themed. I love media that has to do with Heaven and Hell, demons and angels, God and Satan, basically the supernatural in general, excluding the source material. David Macinnis Gill's _Soul Enchilada_ is a great example of this, along with one of my favorite books and biggest inspirations for _Sinful Pride_. His unconventional take on the Devil, the idea of our souls being sold, and everything humorous and different compared to the stereotypical depiction of these themes are what I find interest in. However, there was one problem that arose -- I don't have much access to these types of books.  
_Soul Enchilada_ was really a one of a kind when it came to my school's library. There aren't many other books that sat on our shelves similar to it, or stories that deal with topics that could be considered 'heavy' or even take them and portray them in such a different manner. Of course, I enjoy other genres and types of stories, but I thought that the lack of these tales was something I could change.  
On top of that, another genre my school's catalog didn't support was LGBT+ fiction. There was no section for LGBT+ books, whether they be romance with these attributes in mind, I came up with the idea that would become _Sinful Pride_.  
I brought up this now somewhat formed concept with my English instructor, and she was excited. It was October, and when I was talking to her about my idea of writing a book, she immediately recommended NaNoWriMo and its Young Writer's Program. I thought it was pretty neat, so she completely hooked me up.  
Now, with NaNoWriMo over, 2018 here, and only eleven chapters of this utterly homosexual, satanism propaganda of a novel done, here I am, uploading what I have done to Archive Of Our Own. If you're out there, reading this, thanks. Strap yourself in.

 

1 / 2 / 2018


	2. Prologue

With a heavy sigh, Lars leaned against the heavy wood door that lead to cramped work rooms he'd just stormed out of. His red and black flannel excuse for 'formal dress" was drenched in sweat due to the lack of air conditioning in the building, and, to put it simply, his own anxiety.

"Angels, I'm telling you! _Down here!_ "

"Sir, we haven't dealt with the vermin in centuries! We must take action..."

"Don't be stupid, Vondarski! You and I, even the mortals saw this coming. A-And we can't just full force attack them immediately!"

A long silence followed the latest statement. Although Lars didn't want anything to do with the rising fairytale-esk affray, he had no choice but to listen after he abruptly left. The young man knew he would have to deal with it despite the fact he was a human and he had no real power in the situation.

"We've dealt with this before, Lucifer. We can handle it! Don't be such a wuss. Stop stuttering!"

"I don't think I'm going to be able to even focus on the issue if you continue to speak to me like that, Hunter."

"..."

"Get back to work," Lars overheard his boss interrupting his coworker with a sneer. He only caught quickly fading footsteps after the intimidating remark, and then quiet.

The moonlight shone on the aspiring actor's figure. It was high in the sky, at it's greatest peak, and Lars didn't realize it was getting to be this late. He needed to get home and get ready for bed, but he stayed propped against the facility's door, bewildered by his own cluttered mind. Panicked thoughts and inquiries shot through his head, making him tremble in fear. What was to come was certainly dreadful.


	3. Mudville: A New Calling

_Thump!_ The hefty cardboard box landed on the ground as it was dropped with a quite lack of grace and care. Briefly glancing around and breathing in the fresh air of the new apartment, Lars began to cough a bit, as his new residence reeked of smoke and moldy Asiago. And, oh, would he know.

Lars is seemingly your average nerdy guy. He's an Italian and Irish one-of-six easygoing geek from a small town in Montana, who moved out to California to seek better college, accompanied with his immense passion for acting and drama and lurking awkwardness. After achieving an adequate bachelor's degree in theater and performing arts, rather than Los Angeles or San Francisco, he relocated to the shabby city of Stocktown. Well, Lars called it Mudville, by virtue of its awfully dull color scheme of soggy browns and grays. Even though it wasn't exactly what the short, curious dude dreamed of, he attempted to stay enthusiastic.

As he began to carry the boxes of his clothes and important belongings into the bedroom, Lars looked about his new living space. It was sorta cramped and not in its best shape, but he didn't expect much for what he got the measly place for. The apartment was composed of one room, which was split in half down the middle towards the end, that was walled and held a door and a small chunk that the young man considered a bedroom. Mirroring the bedroom entrance was another door that lead into a tiny bathroom. Of course, the residency didn't bare any furniture, and only had a pale green nylon berber carpet that held a stench of cheese left in the refrigerator since last Thanksgiving and a dedicated smoker with a torturous gravely voice and yellowed teeth. On the same wall of the bathroom was a microwave, a stove and an oven under it, a refrigerator with two doors, a dishwasher (which all had stainless steel), and a few wooden cabinets, that were in surprisingly decent shape. On top of that, all of the rooms had working lights, thankfully.

Beginning to despise the funk of the apartment, Lars hastily decided he needed to get out and do something, anything. Or, at least, anything that was more pleasing to his freckled nose.

The fresh graduate headed out of his new living space and apartment complex after he finished unpacking everything he could. Really, he just threw most of his clothes onto the bedroom floor, grabbed his laptop and cell phone, and headed out like the building was in flames.

Lars made his way to his car, a light blue Sedan with a Pride bumper sticker. He came up with the plan to stop at the nearest coffee shop to do some research about performing arts careers in the area, pick up a newspaper, and finally stop at a mart of some sort to fetch some air freshener, maybe a scented candle or two. They might help with not making his lungs feel compressed whenever he went into the place he'd be crashing in for a few years, probably.

It felt like everyone in the cozy shop looked up towards the dork as he opened the glass door and the little bell that chimed once a customer entered rung above him. Although this wasn't actually true and the cafe he just walked into was basically empty at this hour, Lars still felt this way about everywhere he went, even if they didn't acquire the same nifty little mechanisms that signaled an extra potential consumer or attendee.

Approaching the counter, Lars straightened his vest with a free hand and glanced at the chalkboards above the busy kitchen behind the cashier. The shop was called "Saint Cafe," which stood out to the man for no real reason; or a reason he wasn't sure of. Luckily, this small shop didn't get creative with the names of their sizes or additions to the beverage being served. They even had sweets, but the young man stopped himself. He was full from breakfast, and would be sick if he ate any more.

"Hello sir, what would you like today?" asked the cashier, abruptly wrecking the patron's train of thought. She had curled blond hair, a nude lipstick, a work uniform that consisted of a white shirt and pants, and an long apron and a visor with a matching beige color and the coffee shop's little logo. She was obviously a local teen, but the girl had a charming smile and was doing well for her first job. Becoming a bit startled, the man remembered what he usually got in terms of coffee.

"A-A macchiato, please," Lars stuttered through his order, but got it out as he set his debit card on the marbled counter in front of him. Cursing himself for staggering over his words, the graduate watched as the employee turned towards the kitchen and entered promptly. Stepping to the side in case anyone else wanted to order, the man waited patiently for what he'd requested. Glancing around, he noticed a magazine rack that was pushed against the right wall. Fortunately, it offered the latest newspaper, which was titled _The Stocktown Weekly_. Lars trotted over to the wooden rack and grabbed one of the tabloids, then reverting back to the counter.

Scanning the cover of the paper, he sighed a bit. There was a report on a murder committed by an elderly man on his wife, continued on page five. The local school district celebrated a winning streak of high-school basketball games, which lightened the mood a little, along with an article about an annual "Adopt-A-Thon" event supported by the Stockton Animal Rescue. The newspaper wasn't even printed in color, but Lars didn't expect much.

"Here's your coffee," the employee neared the register and took the new graduate's debit card as she set down his hot drink in front of him. Lars looked up quickly and grasped the cheap plastic cup, observing as the teen swiped his card swiftly. "It's two dollars and five cents," she said, handing the taller figure his debit card. He only nodded and took a seat at one of the small tables that were positioned nicely around the cozy coffee joint.

Lars settled into the meager white seat and placed his shiny PC on the table in front of him, along with the coffee, before he took a sip. He only liked his coffee made as a macchiato, since his mother fixed him up one every day before school during the winter when he was a teen, up until he moved out. Despite the fact no one could make a macchiato like his dear Madre, he enjoyed the drink.

The young man opened his laptop, taking a glimpse at the stickers he arranged on its cover. The computer was decorated with a couple of pride stickers, one or two of dog art he thought was cute, and last was the class drama division between tragedy and comedy, pictured as a laughing mask and another under it, which was sobbing.

As Lars booted up his PC, he looked at his reflection briefly on the black screen. He had auburn colored hair that was mostly straight but came off as wavy. It flowed to his shoulders and along his neck but wasn't exactly long. His somewhat pale face was covered in freckles, mainly across the bridge of his nose, and his cheeks. Lars's father was more Irish than Italian (unlike his mother, who is fully Italian), thus his nose and cheeks had a rosy tint and his hair wasn't as dark compared to the hair color his brothers and sisters shared. The navy vest he wore lacked wrinkles or any real flaw, but the attribute that stood out was his eyes. Lars was born with heterochromia, meaning his eyes showed to be two different colors. His were a very sky blue and light brown, and in spite of their beauty, the graduate HATED them. He wasn't necessarily picked on for his unique feature, but he wished for his eye color to be normal more than anything (besides a boyfriend and a role in a Broadway show).

Blinking, Lars focused back on logging in. He rapidly typed in his password and took another swig of his coffee as he abode for his computer to load. Once the machine opened up, he nimbly commenced his search for theater arts jobs in the area. Big cities certainly weren't far, and he was willing to drive for hours just to be able to perform. The young man was meant to act and perform, he truly loved it. Well, he loved it almost as much as boys.

The connection in the cafe wasn't the best, so the loading took what felt like forever to Lars. Along with acting, he was excellent with technology and computers. He still recalled a fair share of info from coding classes he took in high school, and he considered handling computers his secondary skill. Watching as his laptop endlessly buffered, the man opened the newspaper he had got and flipped to the Classified section, skimming it quickly.

After a few minutes, Lars found nothing of interest. All that was really needed were jobs that required physical labor, such as a plumber or electrician. The rest of the little things listed was merchandise being sold, like trucks he would never need, a mower claimed to be in mint-condition, firewood, and a large collection of children's toys that weren't needed anymore. But, suddenly, a job being offered caught Lars's eye.

The offer detailed a simple office job that dealt with paperwork and emails. All that was needed wad the ability to fill out papers, file them, and some amount of computer knowledge. Surprisingly, the hourly wage was nineteen fifty.

It certainly wasn't what Lars was looking for, but he was qualified, the pay was satisfactory, and it would do until he found his way into the performing scene of SoCal. As he read the address and the company's phone number, the young actor felt a smile tugging at the sides of his mouth. He was off to a good start, Lars thought to himself whilst he reached for his cell, which laid tucked into his pocket.


	4. A Bizzaro Experience

A new day had risen. The man had given the company a call, delighted to hear that there were openings for interviews the next day, and he was welcome to come in around one o'clock. The given time was perfect for Lars, and the person on the other line told him the visit wouldn't take more than a half an hour. Whoever it was came off as masculine, as they had quite a low voice, and they had a hopeful and welcoming tone. It made the possible employee feel optimistic and excited for the interview, in a case where he'd feel nervous about impressing the employer.

An hour past noon was great for him because it gave the actor time to get ready. He showered, and put effort into it, brushed his hair and his teeth (which were white as snow and straighter than he was), slip into the nicest and most fitting outfit he owned, and spray on some cologne, and even that was out of character for Lars. Usually, he believed cologne was overdoing it, but he applied some out of spite.

Getting into his car, Lars thought about what else he would do for the day. He could get food again, maybe go grocery shopping, or tour the city... Surprisingly, the young graduate kept his mind off of the interview as he drove there. He set up the GPS on his phone, had memorized the address at the cafe the previous day, and he remained not worried one bit. Normally, he overthinks every little thing, whether it was in the past, present, or future. He could barely make an order at a restaurant or schedule his own appointments. But today, he was confident.

Hopefully, his confidence would benefit him in the end.

 

 

Lars arrived at the company's building shortly after he stopped for a little bit of breakfast. Stepping out of his car, the man trotted over the crumbling asphalt and onto the even more beat up sidewalk. He peered up at the structure, observing it. Somehow, it stood out to him albeit it blended in with the rest of the construction in Stocktown. The business was held in a simple, vertical rectangular shaped dwelling that was composed of dirtied brown bricks and black finish around the door frame, a roof that was plastered with peeling, broken up, sun-bleached black tiling, and the windows, which the front wall didn't bare. The young man decided not to fret, he'd have to get used to the look of run down facilities just like the one he stood in front of.

Approaching the tinted windowed doors, he attempted to push it open and enter. Lars's advances came to no use, until he suddenly realized it was a pull door. "God damnit," he muttered under his breath before pulling the door and remembering where he was told to go for his interview. The time was twelve fifty-three, and Lars looked around the room he had walked into.

It was a little cramped, horizontal, rectangular shaped room, with a hallway parallel to the door. The chamber gave off waiting room vibes, although there was no receptionist. Three chairs were set along each wall beside the narrow corridor, with faded burgundy cushions and black supports and back. The floor was finished with marble and was very slick, shining in the flickering fluorescent lights installed in the ceiling. A pattern composed of triangles and shades of black and gray on the marble itself was the nicest attribute of the entrance to the building. The wallpaper was red and it's beautiful Victorian pattern could barely be seen due to the decoration's old age.

The man's loafers _click clacked_ against the smooth flooring, which followed him into the hall. During the call, his rather mysterious employer told him to go down the hall and knock on the last door that mirrored the hall itself. They were simple enough directions for Lars, and it gave him a good look around his possibly new workplace.

Notably, the said hallway was longer than it seemed. Much, much, much longer.

On each side of the awfully tight hall, there was a door that reflected another on the opposite side. They were numbered with Roman numerals, which Lars thought was neat, but he couldn't read them. The doors were very nice; polished, dark brown, wooden, and fitted with plaques for their numbers. The hall was silent, and the doors were too thick to hear anything through them.

Lars put his hands in his pockets as the hall went on and on. Doors kept on coming and coming, and the lights on the low ceiling flashed, some gone out. Until finally, he came across the room the corridor lead to.

Placidly, it was even smaller than the last, but composed of the same shape. The chamber only lacked chairs, and hosted the marble floors, only two lights (one of which was out), and a door that matched the rest. Only, its shiny little plaque was unique.

The plaque read "LUCY."

"Lucy...?" Lars mumbled slightly. It was more of a feminine name, and he was sure he talked to a man. His mind went blank. "Well, I suppose they could be anything..." Shrugging it off after a few minutes, he raised a hand and knocked on the broad door.

The door opened just a few moments later with a loud creak. Lars's particular eyes met with a golden yellow pair. Scanning the figure in front of him quickly, the young man blinked.

The man in front of Lars towered over him easily, as he was about half a foot taller than him. He had a strong build, with broad shoulders and a look that told anyone he wasn't effortlessly tackled or taken advantage of, and it was likely he was quite muscular and brawny beneath his undershirt. His face was rectangular-ish diamond shape, a full, trimmed beard covering his toned jaw. Under his nose was a mustache that was connected to the bush on his jaw. His tall size refined nose complimented his out of place honey yellow eyes, and his straight black eyebrows. Along with a widow's peak on his forehead, the employer bared black hair with a oak tint that was held back in a messy bun near his neck. The wrinkle-free suit he wore was a deep red, which matched his dress pants, and the decor of the rest of the building. He also had a white undershirt, a black tie and similar jet black Oxfords.

"It's a pleasure t' meet you, Mr. Argento."

It took Lars a minute to snap back into reality when the man in front of him spoke. His overall look was very bold and infatuating, especially to the young man. What caught his mind even more is what his employer thought of him at first glance.

"Same to you, sir," he answered, flashing a smile at the man. Glancing down and up at the kingpin, Lars noticed he held his hand up. Shaking it hastily, the two shared eye contact.

The taller figure opened the regal door to his office and swiftly moved out of the way. "Come in," he spoke again, in his deep, adorn voice. "We have much to discuss."

Looking around momentarily, the newcomer stepped in. The small office was built similarly to the rest of the building, sharing the same wallpaper and lighting. Beneath them, the floor was composed of very thin beige loop carpet that looked as if it had been recently cleaned. In the middle of the room was a glossy black desk and a comfortable looking leather chair behind in. On the desk was a sleek, modern computer, a few vanilla files, and a full grown bonsai tree on the opposite side of the monitor that sat in a polished navy blue pot. Just a few inches away from the desk was a chair, just like the ones in the front room. Hung on the back wall was a large goat skull, which made the shorter man shiver.

Lars was already making his way towards the chair when the man avered, "Make yourself comfortable." He pulled the seat away from the desk easily and plopped into it. Uncommonly, the cushion of the chair was quiet comfy. His employer trotted over to his leather chair and sat into it, once again looking at the younger man.

"First, I'll introduce myself. Call me Lucy. I'm your new boss. It may not look like it, but this is more than a secretary or assistant job," the man told him, sitting up and folding his hands on his desk. "Unless you are interested in such role, Laurentis."

He expected it. Lars always did. It was his real name, and Lucy requested his full name on the phone call. "It's Lars," he broke in, holding back a sigh. "C-Call me Lars." It sort of seemed like his potential boss already knew he preferred the separate name, but was only calling him something else to be a tease.

"I apologize," assured his employer after a few seconds of silence between the two. "As I was saying, the advertisement for this job can only be viewed by certain people; and even the interior of our facility is nonexistent to the average mortal eye..."

"What?" the young graduate blurted out in confusion. He thought it was only an office job, not some ghost-catcher supernatural Luigi-Weegee-Ouija board nonsense. Then again, he wasn't religious, so that wasn't a problem.

Lucy foresaw his puzzled reaction. "Let me explain. No harm will be done, I swear," the man chuckled, holding his hands up in defense. He found the likely new employee's bewilderment a little comical.

Deciding to listen in and give him a chance, the shorter dork kept his silence. The man in front of him was awfully cute, too...

"This job offer is a little, how do I put it... supernatural. There were many reasons it was your fate to show up here and see something out of the dimensional anomaly we are stood in; you can handle it. You're good with computers, you're not religious, you're understanding, you lack belief in superstitions, etectera etcetera. Mr. Argento, to put it simple, your fate is entwined with our facility and it lead you here."

Blinking, Lars slowly started to understand what the stranger was trying to tell him. His destiny was this place. Well, it was nice, and it wasn't far from home. The man who sat in front of him was charming, and quite attractive. The young actor's quick-to-trust tendencies were showing.

"Of course," Lucy began again, his golden eyes never ceasing to leave the other man. "You will still be working an office job, and your coworkers... Your coworkers are demons, but I'll make sure that they won't hurt you in any way, shape, or form. You've got a regular nine to five shift and no work on the weekends. I even propose a lunch break from noon to one thirty each day."

Another few moments of quiet followed his words. The mortal came up with an additional inquiry soon enough, but he expected the man, or being, in front of him to say more.

"However, it is your choice whether you want to follow through with my offer. I'll give you all the time you need to make a decision, but just a day or two would be preferred..."

"Am I getting paid?" interjected Lars once again. That was really all he cared about. A cute boss and some spooky associates? Sounded good to him.

Lucy nodded. "Yes," he responded briefly. Silence filled the air between the two.

Suddenly, the younger man became nervous out of the blue. He stared at his future boss again, making him blush. The man in front of him fit his exact preferences, and he wasn't complaining. Biting his lip out of his own nerve, Lars fidgeted a bit in his chair.

"I'll t-take your offer, Lucy," vowed the mortal, his voice trembling slightly. Whether this was a good or bad decision, he didn't know.

Smiling, his new boss raised a hand and snapped his fingers. A pen appeared in his grasp, and with his other hand he opened one of the files and pulled a paper with a few thick paragraphs in very small text. There was a place to sign at the bottom of the sheet. "Sign here, Mr. Argento. No, you're not selling your soul, you're just legally agreeing you are associated with us."

Lars was to memorized by the pen trick to take it from Lucy. How did he do that? Then again, if he was working with demons, his boss must be... not human.

Eventually, the mortal took the pen and signed his name. Laurentis Cervo Argento.

And with that, he worked for the Devil.


	5. Feathery Companion

That went well. At least, Lars thought so. But as he sat in his car for at least ten minutes taking it all in afterward, he pondered if he made the right decision. He shouldn't have been so quick to trust the man, and it seemed like Lucy could very easily take advantage of him.

Then again, jobs like the one presented never appear in the classifieds, even in a place or city unlike Stocktown. He should give it a chance, and raking leaves or pet-sitting won't make twenty bucks an hour.

If he was in danger, this would feasibly be the last time it would occur.

 

 

Snapping out of his thoughts, Lars sat up. He immediately thought of the Adopt-A-Thon that was going on in town. A pet was a bad idea, but he couldn’t resist the temptation.

The young man started his car with a smile on his face, thinking about the animals the rescue would have to offer. Lars had always loved animals and pets throughout his life, and owned many during his childhood. As a kid, he had dogs, and a variety of fish and rodents; all of which he adored and cared for without hesitation or dislike. He wasn’t able to brook any pets in his college dorm, and the thought of taking another animal in made him light up.

After a quick Google search, the man located the address of the shelter and was on his way. While he drove, Lars observed the surroundings that zoomed past him. Despite the fact he was exiting the area that was riddled with rot, gloom, and dull colors, the rest of Mudville didn’t have much else to offer. It was a little more colorful and alive, but it wasn’t any New York City. There was a lake, which was promising, along with an almost minuscule library, a nature park that was no bigger than said library, and a few restaurants and department stores.

Lars believed getting a pet would lift some of his stress. The shelter was offering animals for free anyways, and his new landlord couldn’t care less.

By the time the young man arrived at the shelter, there was barely anyone there. All of the customers had already left or were leaving with their new friends. Luckily, it wasn’t too late to rescue an animal or two. Turning off his car and departing it, Lars headed towards the shelter.

The building actually looked a little modern and in shape. Outside, they had shaded white tents and folding tables, where they were holding the event. A few volunteers were still there and noticed the young man as he approached. They looked happy to come across a new customer, but they didn't have much supply left.

"Welcome, sir!" a young woman greeted him with a grin. "We're just about to close up shop, but we've still got some animals that need a home." They made eye contact as she motioned towards a tent that was several feet away. The actor only gave her a nod, knowing he'd stutter or somehow make a fool of himself.

Lars hastily made his way for the tent she had guided him to. He saw that it was the area where they were keeping the animals, but a few workers were carrying away empty cages and crates. They all were wearing blue and looked to be in a hurry.

There was one employee who remained by the table, who of which slowly looked at the newcomer. "The animals are on this table," they said, placing a hand on the white plastic table beside them. It was a man about his age, who seemed tired. Lars wasn't sure how something like this would wear anyone out, but he shrugged it off.

Glancing towards the table, the young man noticed they didn't have many rescues left. There was a crate that looked empty due to the black cat that cowered inside, and, well, a wired bird cage. Inside was a large bird with white feathers and a few yellow feathers curling from the top of its head. The tall bird looked straight at Lars and refused to break the stare, its gray beak remaining shut.

Lars glimpsed between the little crate and the feathered creature. He was deathly allergic to cats, although he never had a bird. It was a tough decision, but it's not like he could own the cat at all. The man could feel a sneeze brewing from just standing a yard or two away from the feline.

"I'll take the bird," he told the worker as he shifted his attention to the man for just a second. The employee nodded, trotting over to the flimsy cage and lifting it with ease. "The paperwork is over there," informed the man in blue, who pointed to the tent to the right of the canopy they stood under. Taking the cage from the man’s grasp, Lars headed over to the table.

There stood another worker, who quickly noticed the man. “Your paperwork is on the table,” the woman repeated, offering him a pen. Lars lifted the cage onto the table and leaned over it. There were a few stacked packets of pages covered in small text, just like the files from his new job. Taking the pen from the worker, he began to sign were he needed to as swiftly as he could.

When he finished, the young man slid the papers over to the woman. She took them in her hand and skimmed the contents as Lars picked up the cage and waited for a signal to leave. The employee promptly gave him one and told him that he could go on his way. At once, the man headed out to his car with the bird’s wired prison.

The white bird glanced around contemptly as his new owner set his cage down in the back seat. He ruffled his wings a bit, his long gray claws twitching. He was used to traveling around, as he went from house to house and shelter to shelter almost constantly. No one seemed to like having him, maybe due to his volume, but maybe wherever he would end up now would be his permanent home.

Lars was surprised to find that his new companion stayed quiet the entire car ride home. Halfway to his apartment building, he realized that he needed to get something to freshen up his tiny room for a residence. He presumed he could leave the bird in the car whilst he ran into a store for a few minutes, so he headed off to whatever department store was closest.

Ending up at a generic looking market titled SuperStore, the young man parked near the entrance, locked his car, and went in.

Meanwhile, the bird inside his car watched the man trot away from his vehicle. Someone may think the creature would become restless when its owner wasn’t present, but the bird just sat there. He stared at the front seat, then at the window as he saw the car next to Lars’s pull away, and finally at his own clawed feet. Soon enough, he was able to fall asleep in his roomy cage, awaiting his owner’s return.

After just five minutes, Lars scurried towards his Sedan with a few plastic bags in hand. He peered into his window and was relieved to find his new pet sit up as he approached and look straight at him. Getting into the front seat, the young man watched the bird with the car’s visor. The winged creature only fidgeted a bit and made a slight cawing noise. Dropping the bags in the passenger’s seat, Lars started his car and began his drive home.

Fortunately, Lars was able to pick up some supplies for his new friend. He bought some bird feed (of course, domestic bird feed), along with bedding and even some little toys for his cage. He also got some scented candles, a lighter, and plug-in air freshener. Lastly, he purchased a microwaveable dinner that he could easily make for tonight. Everything was going fine... for now.

 

 

Somehow, the young man managed to haul everything he'd picked up into the building, up the stairs, and to his apartment. It was a hassle, but he surely got it done.

Lars placed the cage on the counter beside the stove as he prepared the food he bought. The white bird simply looked around and pecked at its wing, raising it briefly as the man watched curiously. Its owner would certainly have to do some bird research over his Hot Pocket, but he didn't mind.


	6. Primo Day on the Job

_Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!_

The ever so obnoxious blaring of an alarm clock made Lars's ears ring. He instantly smacked the cheap plastic machine, shutting it off and sitting up. Time for work.

Hopping off of the bed and stretching his lanky arms over his head, the young man looked around the floor of his shaggy bedroom. His heart sunk as he realized he didn't own much of any business wear. Uh oh.

Lars dug frantically through his clothes, trying to find something that wouldn't disappoint his new boss. He was in a hurry, even though it was six forty-five in the morning.

After a few minutes of searching, the young man found a white button-up with a collar, an all black tie, his second pair of dress pants (out of two), black socks, along with his loafers he wore the day before. It was good enough. Truly, Lucy couldn't care less about his employee's clothing, as long as they looked presentable, he didn't mind. He had _much_ more important things to fret about.

The time was seven o’ five. Lars had all the time in the world to get ready to go out, stop for something to eat, and maybe even relax before. 

Wait, _relax_? _Relaxing_ seemed like a foreign language to the young man, and boy, he was bilingual as all Hell.

First, he took care of his hygiene, and then headed into the main room of his living space. Lars glanced around silently. His mind went blank. What to do now?

_Squawk!_

The nerd’s sparkling, ever so feminine train of thought had crashed into a lake and spontaneously combusted into billows of glitter and confetti the moment the caged bird had called out. Lars woke his pet up once he’d turned the faucet on to brush his teeth, and the sight of his new owner made the bird flutter happily. He'd moved the cage from the counter and onto a few handbooks he stacked just a few inches away from the opposite wall.

Approaching the bird's cage and kneeling down to face it, he lifted the bag of bird feed from the floor where he left it last night and opened the little door to the fancy but aged and rusted cage. It was the perfect chance to escape from the awfully small prison for his pet, but the obedient bird stayed in place, eagerly awaiting the tasty seed that the plastic bag held.

As Lars tore open the package of bird food, he was pleased to see his pet stayed put while the entrance to his confinement remained wide open. Pouring the trail mix into one of the bowls that was positioned in the cage, the young man chuckled as he watched the bird dig into his food almost immediately. Wrapping the bag up and latching the door shut, he stood back up and stared at the bird as it wolfed down the seed, even spilling some on the stacked books beneath him.

Standing where he was, the young man remembered he had yet to give his new pet a name. All of his former pets had the most generic names of all, or at least he thought so. Spot, Rosco, Fluffy, Goldy, Swimmy, and finally... Edwardo, his hamster.

Immediately, Lars thought of _Uccello_ , which was simply Italian for "bird." Uccello didn't really have a ring to it, but it was better than something such as _Polly_ or even _Edgar Allen Crow_.

_Volatile_ also appeared in the young man's mind. It was an Italian variation for "bird," and it sounded a lot more pleasant. But before he knew it, it was already seven twenty. He should be driving out to get a sad excuse for breakfast by now.

The young man collected his things quickly, said goodbye to Volatile, and left his unshorn apartment.

 

 

Subsequently to his breakfast, which was had at a local fast food joint, Lars drove cheerfully to his workplace. It wasn't as far of a distance away as his apartment building was, and he was fairly early. It was only twenty past eight. As he bobbed his head to his Sedan's radio, the young man grinned to himself, his mind riddled with thoughts of his alluring chief.

Lucy. Just the mention of the name made the new employee's cheeks stained with shades of red and pink. He hadn't seen anyone that pretty for a long time, excluding Chris Hemsworth or Christian Bale. He was rather charming and kind, as well. At least at first glance...

_No, Lars! Snap out of it!_ The geek detested himself wordlessly. He was always told, even by his mother, that work and love don't mix. It was almost a phrase that was engraved into his mind, in between "Why haven't you gotten a girlfriend yet?" and "Don't you worry about going to Hell?"

Likewise, Lucy was probably straight anyways. Or taken. Everyone Lars took an interest in ended up way out of his league, occupied with someone else, or heterosexual. It must've been his fate, just like his boss had described to him during the interview that occurred the previous day.

Soon, the young man's car was parked outside of the office building. He remembered the address again, and somehow shaken his nerves away. Well, his anxiety kept quiet until he walked in the door.

The entrance to the facility was just the same. Peeling Victorian wallpaper, cozy looking chairs, shining marble floor, and flickering lighting. He wondered if the long bulbs were actually blinking, or if he was just seeing things.

Lars pulled his cell phone from his pocket and took a glimpse at it. It was only eight thirty two! Darn, he thought it was _waaaay_ later...

"Lars, you've arrived early, I see."

He was caught off guard by the unforeseen words spoke by a familiar, but distant voice. It sounded like such person was down the hall, so the young man looked up from his smart phone unhurriedly.

Lucy.

The rather large figure stood in front of the door to his office, eyeing his newest worker from afar. It was almost like his feet were lifted a few inches off the icy marble floors.

Gulping, Lars grew hot in his proper button-up shirt. "Y-Yes, sir. I apologize, I didn't realize i-it was so early..." his voice trailed off in embarrassment, along with his mitch-match eyes, which darted around the room.

"No, no, you're fine. It's not like time matters to me," laughed the administrator, who shrugged nonchalantly. "It's nice to see your enthusiasm about this position. Would you like me to show you your office?" He raised a hand and pointed a thumb towards last door to the left of his own work room.

As he collected himself following the awkward moment, the entity blinked. He nodded promptly and trotted down the hall, still processing what his boss had said and thinking to himself. _Does he think bad of me? I hope he doesn't. He seems chill. He can probably smell my fear. Am I sweating? I should've taken an Altoid..._

Lucy grabbed the golden door handle before the shorter man got a chance too, promptly opening it. Quickly stepping in, the employee took a look around. The office was similar to his boss's, with the same decor and desk (minus the bonsai), except the chair was the same as the chairs in the front room, plus the computer was a tad bit smaller. Behind the table he would be doing work at was a blank wall fashioned with the same exact wallpaper, but no regal set of bones proudly displayed. There were a few papers laid on the desk next to the sleek keyboard.

"Your first assignments are on the computer, in an email. I'm sure you'll be able to find them. There's also a few papers on your desk I need you to finish and hand in to me," the being advised Lars. The younger man listened closely and glanced at the fancy-looking machine, before walking over to it. "I'll be in my office if you need anything else."

He awaited a reply, until the soft spoken dork looked up at him and gave a shy nod. Lucy didn't expect much else of a response, so he walked into the hall and closed the door behind him.

Once his boss was finally out of the room, the smaller figure sat back and exhaled profoundly. The supernatural man out of the room was a weight effortlessly lifted from his dainty shoulders. Lars took a few moments to collect himself before turning the device in front of him on. Lucy made him so incredibly nervous and shaky, and it sort of scared the young man. He hadn't had connections to a person he found interest in as close as these probably since high school. _High school._

After a few minutes, Lars calmed a bit, running his fingers through his hair as his computer booted up. It didn't take long, and he instantly opened the web browser that was downloaded. The computer was surprisingly fast, and he wasn't complaining. Somehow, the machine already had him logged into an account on the browser that was made for his work. He thought it was, at least. It was labeled under his full name, and he was taken by surprise to see his first name was shortened to 'Lars.' Did Lucy think of him while he made the account? Did _he_ make the account?

Lars was overthinking once again. Wiping a bit of sweat from his brow, he accessed the email and found the message sent by his administrator, which was the only thing in his inbox. Clicking it, the machine swiftly showed him the contents of the email, which was only a block of text, and a few links attached to the mail.

_"Greetings, Mr. Argento. As you know, it's your first day here at Deceiver Enterprises. I've shown you around, and now follows your first assignment. It's rather easy, I'd say._

_Your beginning task is a writing prompt. I've given you a few links to several articles that will guide you in forming your response and putting it into words. This is only so I can measure your overall writing and grammar skill, therefore planning duties for this job that will fit you the most. I'm sure you'll do superb._

_After you finish that, I just have some paperwork for you to fill out and turn into me at the end of the day, in my office. It should be on your desk, along with a pen, of course. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, see me in my office._

_Best of luck,_

_Lucy"_

The new employee stared at the bright monitor absentmindedly for a minute or two. He could just hear his chief's soothing voice speaking to him and encouraging him to do his first set of tasks...

It was as if the being was flirting with him through the screen. Wait, what? Blinking, Lars grumbled to himself. He did it again! "Love and work don't mix, love and work don't mix..." he repeated silently, almost chanting the taunting phrase in his conscience. The young man opened a document along with the links his enticing crush supplied. He begun working on the essay, his focus locked to the simple assignment.

 

 

When lunch break rolled around, the newest employee was nearly done, but still had a few papers to wrap up. Lars didn't expect the work to be so bulky, though. At first glance, it just seemed like a few flimsy sliced up trees, but on the contrary they were overflowing with principles and Pig Latin terms, as well as phrases like "The Underworld" and "Father of Lies," all of which he couldn't seem to grasp or understand. He barely could comprehend the whole situation he was entwined in, but despite this he pushed through.

At first, Lars didn't realize it was break time until he checked the clock on the bottom right of its display. He didn't have anything in mind when it came to food, but he was indeed in need of a meal.

In all honesty, the dork just wanted to go get food with Lucy.

He got up from his chair and looked around, tapping his foot a little. The young mortal pondered what he should do... he could get fast food, pick up coffee, maybe explore the small restaurants of Mudville. But as he thought, the sound of the door to his modest work space interjected his ideas on lunch.

"Hello," a welcoming voice greeted him from the doorway. As Lars looked towards the figure that stood in the doorway, he painted the fence a few times.

It was a person, or being, that resembled a man that stood at his desk. He appeared to be human, and showed a body type that was just as average as his height. He wore a black and white flannel, navy blue dress pants, and jet black loafers. Along with that, he had small ear gauges that were fashioned with opaque black rings. To top it all off, sprouting from his temples was a set of rough-looking black horns that curved inward, shaping like backwards capital S's.

Aside from the man's outfit, he was an African-American with dark brown eyes, a perfect triangular nose, black hair that was cut short and faded on the side but slightly long and curled on the top, the little tuft leaning forward between his horns. His beard matched his hair, it was faded, trimmed well, and thick around his toned jaw and mustache, which was connected. Even though the horns were a rather... intimidating, the figure smiled kindly.

"I'm your coworker," the man trotted towards Lars's desk. "Call me Vernon. Your name's... uh... Leo, right?"

The shorter employee held his hand out, and his new acquaintance shook his hand expeditiously. "Lars," he corrected the newcomer with a nod.

"Ahh, Lars. What an interesting name..." replied Vernon, who shrugged a bit and glanced at the other man's computer. "I just wanted to stop by to introduce myself. We have at least two dozen workers here, and you only really know our boss. I think."

Lars nodded his head once more in agreement. "Thanks, Vernon," he grinned a bit. He was happy to be accepted by at least one of his coworkers, and the first he'd met seemed nice and unlike what he had assumed before. "I-I appreciate it, man..."

"It's no problem," Vernon cackled. "I know what it's like to be hired at first, you know? It might be a little hard, but I'm sure you'll survive." Hired at first? Did he... _grow_ horns?

The two shared a few laughs before the mortal thanked him again, before saying their goodbyes and heading their own ways. Lars still needed to decide where he was going to stop for grub, but he needed to take in the experience for a moment...

He was confused, to say the least, but at the same time he was a bit enthusiastic. Lars held hundreds of questions surrounding the company, but truly, he was fascinated. He called up this place and asked for a temporary job, and now he was being encouraged by a demon or an imp for all he knew. He felt lucky, but also unsure of what was going to happen, or what was even going on. A human with giant horns? Deceiver Enterprises? A fate twisted and locked with a small business in the most boring and rotten-looking city of Stocktown?

It was surreal.

 

 

"Come in," called the being as a knock came from the entrance to his work space. He knew it was Lars, and was a little merry to find he was coming in to turn in his paperwork before it was due. But... how could he know that?

The young man grasped the chilly handle and tilted it, pushing the weighty door open. He held flimsy papers he'd finished in the other hand, and just a few seconds later he stood before his boss.

"Completed your forms early, I see? Excellent," Lucy welcomed the nervous dork with a grin, knowing it'd make him blush. He sat up, watching as he placed the neat stack on his desk.

Nodding in response, the new employee drew near to his chief's desk and slid the finished papers in front of him. His boss was sitting at his computer before Lars stopped in, and turned away from the monitor. Glimpsing down and grabbing the assignments, the being skimmed through the writing with his honey yellow eyes even though he already knew well that it was clear into his mind minutes later.

Expecting Lucy to speak, the man waited patiently for some sort of rebuttal or even a flattering compliment.

"Good work," was all he heard as he folded his hands behind his back and stared towards the marble floor. "I've got a few more you could finish here, but I don't mind if you head off early." Lucy presented his worker another few tasks, which pushed him to look up curiously.

Lars was 200 percent willing to do any sort of work for the being. 20 packets of paperwork so boring you'd want to gouge your eyes out with rusty spoons? Do a bunch of dishes? Sacrifice your soul and murder three dozen woodland creatures in cold blood? He could get it done in a jiffy if it was for Lucy.

"They'll be done in a flash, sir," the mortal promised just as soon as the man at the desk finished his sentence. Lars took the papers delicately but swiftly and grinned towards Lucy, and their eyes met. Their colorful orbs remained locked for a few moments, but it felt like an eternity to the shorter figure. Silence enveloped the two just as quickly as it subsided.

Lucy was the one who finally broke the somberness between him and the mortal. "Sounds good," chortled the mysterious being. He was aware of his employee's little crush, but he wasn't bothered by it. He knew _everything_ about everyone.

Incredibly embarrassed, the young man left the room and fixed his collar with a shaky sigh. It was almost like Lucy had stared into his outstanding eyes like an optical illusion or an I Spy book. His boss's golden eyes sent chills down his spine and made him feel like he was melting into a gay puddle.

Well, he couldn't just stand in the hallway and fret for long. He had paperwork to do.


	7. Somewhat of an Explanation

It was only a few days after Lars was hired by the metaphysical association situated in Stocktown. All was well, luckily, though the young man felt a strange sense of foreboding regarding the whole conundrum he'd gotten himself into. But maybe he should trust his chief's word, as he had said that his very fate and purpose on Earth was enmeshed with the job opportunity.

But as the newest employee briefly read over the paperwork appointed to him, some of the vocabulary utilized in the lengthy paragraphs of text the assignments held made him disheartened. _Accuser... Lawless one... Belial... King of Darkness... Wicked one..._ Every single buzzword that was written out made Lars even more skeptical and slightly perturbed. The young man slowly grew to regret calling this freaky place up, but another side of him said no. It was better than shoveling leaves or pet sitting... or pet sitting a cat, especially. He was overthinking everything (as usual) and besides, his boss was hot. What could possibly go wrong?

"Everything," he mumbled almost immediately. Unbeknownst to Lars, he wasn't completely incorrect.

 

 

Since Deceiver Enterprises had acquired a new employee, who of which happened to be a mortal, it was mandatory for one of their coworkers to formally introduce the whole deal, the whole sha-baam, the whole whatever in Hell the organization that they held on the middle plane was all about.

Now, it was Vernon's job to do such.

When the friendly demon Lars met was first hired, he was a mortal, similar to the newest recruit. Of course, he was oblivious to all of the baggage involved with the job at the company, but he got the memo soon enough. He didn't leave, either, and that's why he was meant to work for the not-so-mighty Lucy. It's not like he could quit now, anyways.

Since Vernon was one of the few souls on the middle plane associated with the Devil himself, his physical being became manifested with the aura and state of his boss', like all the rest of the employees at Deceiver Enterprises that resided on Earth. Therefore, the pure soul that dwelt in Vernon had molded into a demon.

Previously, the young man was a quiet, but bubbly and enthusiastic programmer from a very, very, very small town in Florida. At times, he kind of wished he hadn't moved from there, or at least so far from his hometown, but that wasn't in his destiny, clearly. He volunteered at many food banks and summer camps during high school and college, getting involved in clubs and his district's band. One of Vernon's only interests was computer programming, and he often made his own little games in his free time. He wanted to go into a programming job, but just like Lars, he believed he would work in an office job for just a little while after flying out to Southern California and moving in; it was just a temporary thing until he found a high-paying game developer or programming gig, but that wasn't happening any time soon.

Vernon was a very helpful person. He did favors that weren't asked of him or didn't necessarily need to be done, and often just did kind things for people he knew out of his own will. The demon was also a very efficient nine-to-fiver, too, and got assignments done rather quickly without rushing. That's why he was picked out of all of the mortals in Stocktown or traveling to it to recognize the building and be able to work in it although it simply didn't truly exist.

However, he had always wanted to go out and do things for the small community in his new residence, like community service. Since he was, well, a demon, he couldn't just go out in the small populace without someone looking funny at his horns or abnormally sharpened canines. And that's what he signed up for when he employed to Lucy.

The second-to-newest employee was actually quite delighted to find Deceiver Enterprises had taken in another mortal as a member of their staff. It was nice to have someone like him around, and as Vernon got to know the rookie, he saw himself in the young man in many ways. He liked him a lot, believe it or not, and was glad to be the very first to befriend the future demon.

But with his own burden of being a hellion, Vernon couldn't do a lot of the things he used to love to do, mainly go out in public. But he'll live. Hopefully.

 

 

Once the demon had gotten the info from his administrator that he needed to speak with the newest employee, he was sort of excited. Finally, something to do other than paperwork. Though, he wasn't too hot at explaining concepts to others, especially ideas and systems so specific and detailed such as the topics he needed to discuss with Lars. Regardless, he complied, and headed to the young mortal's office.

Concurrently, the worker that Vernon planned to talk to was at his desk, working hard at a stack of papers left on for him that was much more bulky than usual. He hadn't had a bad day since he was picked up by Deceiver Enterprises, and he had actually gone out and bought some groceries, going as far as peeking in a few junk mail catalogs, seeking some discounted furniture.

Lars looked up from his assignments when he heard a knock on his office door. "Come in," he proclaimed, too lazy to get up and get the door himself. The little bit of anxiety faded once he saw that it was one of his coworkers that he had met, Vernon.

"Good morning, Lars," the demon greeted him, trotting into the small room and closing the door behind him.

"Good morning to you as well," Lars managed to say without fumbling over his words, shaking the man's hand as he approached the desk. "What's up?"

With a snap of his fingers, Vernon summoned a chair in front of the mortal's desk and plopped right into it, slouching back and folding his legs. The younger man's eyebrows shot up, and his mind reverted back to his job interview, when Lucy made a pen appear from thin air. Maybe they had the same powers...? He'd find out soon either way.

"You're well aware working here, for us, is a little on the paranormal side," his pupil began. "You've been told, there's all the weird terms on the paperwork given to you, we can make objects appear from thin air... You know, this place is a little weird, but no one has really explained any of this to you. Yeah?"

Lars only nodded, listening intently out of his own curiosity.

"Well, that's _my_ job. I've got to, kind of... Give you sort of an explanation on the whole deal of this place, this company. Anywhere you'd like to start?" asked his coworker, his face blank.

It took a few seconds for the man at the desk to reply. His mind was just as empty as Vernon's expression, until an idea popped into his mind. Their enchanting boss.

"Lucy," he blurted out, unaware of the volume he was speaking at. His friend was a little taken aback, silenced for just a moment or two whilst he attempted to take in what he'd said.

Vernon didn't know a ton about his administrator, but there was a fair share of backstory and details that would make the newest employee at an incognizant point of view. He also had to remember all he knew about Lucy himself. Even beings and people closest to him didn't know a ton about Lucy. He kept a lot of things inside, and Vernon didn't really blame him. His background was quite lengthy and complicated...

"Lucy? He's our boss. I mean, you probably know he's not human..." started the demon before he trailed off, uncertain of where to begin with the entity's lasting history. "To put it simply, he's the Devil. Ruler of the Underworld, King of Darkness. He's always busy with work, but he made a decision to remain on the earthly plane and devise this company. He didn't necessarily plan to harvest demons out of mortals, but he can't control fate..."

"Earthly plane? Mortals?" Lars interjected, lowering his voice as he conveyed his inquiry. It was expected for him to not know all the outlandish terminology that all of the workers spoke of.

"There are three planes of existence. This one, the earthly or middle plane, Heaven, or the top plane, and Hell, AKA the bottom plane. Pretty self explanatory; they've all got some sort of slang or nickname. Mortals are just another word for humans, creatures or beings that do not possess immortality or special abilities. You're a mortal. When humans that reside here, since they don't live in any other plane, get hired at Deceiver Enterprises, due to all the negative energy of the other people that work here and Lucy, their souls are manifested into spirits of the Hell; such as demons, like myself."

Lars slowly processed everything that was being described to him. Although it was hard to understand, he never once zoned out or let his attention span screech to a halt. If mortals embodied into creatures of the Underworld, wouldn't that mean _he_ would become a demon?

The thought of that made his heart drop. He was a human! How could he preform on a stage or look anyone in the eye with horns or deformities like his colleagues bared?

And there he went, overreacting again. "Will... will I turn into a demon?" Lars whimpered slightly, a worried look washing over his face.

"I'm not 100 percent sure whether you'll remain human or go through such changes, but I'd say it'd pretty likely. I did the same," his coworker told him, shrugging. "It's not as bad as you think it might be. Demons get to travel between here and the Underworld, which is pretty neat. We can float and defy gravity, and we don't really need to eat or sleep. As seen earlier, we can also make minor objects appear from nothing."

Still a little shocked, the young mortal didn't know how to respond. "W-What else can demons do?" Lars inquired, tilting his head slightly. Morbid curiosity?

"Abilities mostly depend on rank and level of skill. Beings like me can float and have minor abnormalities, like horns. All demons don't have to eat or sleep to regain energy, since we have a bit of immortality. We can enter a resting period and still sleep and eat, but only for luxury," he paused briefly, collecting his thoughts. "You met Hunter, right?"

Hunter? It didn't ring a bell. Cocking an eyebrow, the man at the desk shook his head.

"He's at a higher rank compared to mine. He can float, partially transform his visual appearance, and he does more than just paperwork for Lucy. And there's even demons that are better than him!" Vernon tried to add a hint of enthusiasm in his words, then pausing. "So, it's kind of worth it, I guess. It's... It's not like you really have a choice either way, y'know?"

Lars nodded once more. "I get it. Is there any... anything more that you know about Lucy?"

His colleague was taken aback once again. "Essentially, he's a fallen angel. When Earth was just an empty ball of dirt, God created him to help create everything. They made humans, animals... basically, all of the fundamentals. They fought a ton, though. It wasn't the best relationship, even though She made him to be Her picture-perfect soulmate."

Instead of addressing the pronouns Vernon had used, the young man questioned the details of all the problems in the relationship he spoke of. "Was it... bad?"

"Yeah, from what I heard. She was real forceful and controlling, and it got physical a lot. I don't think Lucy really wants to talk about it, unless you were real close with him," the demon finished his thought, and silence filled the air between them. The visual of the being experiencing abuse made Lars frown.

After a few moments, Vernon began to speak again. "Lucy was sort of jealous of all the time and care God was putting into the early humans, and he was supposedly a big troublemaker, too. So She kicked him out. He fell from Heaven quite painfully and landed in the Underworld, and molded it into what it is now, from the ground up. It's crazy."

His friend's words left Lars aghast. All of that happened to Lucy, and he still managed to present himself as so established and intimidating? How... how could he? Damn, the mortal felt bad for his boss now.

"What about God?" he broke in, all of the info being fed to Lars made him even more inquisitive. "What... what's his deal?"

" _Her_ deal," corrected Vernon before he started to explain. "God's a woman. I don't really remember Her name right now, but I don't care enough, either. Rumor has it She's a real harlot. She's known to be rotten, and She really doesn't think She is. She hates Lucy and he hates Her. She knows about all we're doing on the middle plane, which won't be good on our part..."

"They're both gods, right?" Lars interrupted, even though his colleague was trailing off and slowly lowering his volume.

"Yes, deities to be exact. Deity level is the highest on the ladder you can be. They're fully immortal, and they can do all the stuff we can do plus more. They can teleport, preform telekinesis, fire and water bend, summon objects that are much bigger, change their body temps, and they know every single little detail about everyone and everything. They can even tell what we're thinking and what we will possibly do in the future."

"Demons don't have full immorality?" the young man questioned, blinking.

Vernon shook his head. "Demons, beings from other planes, and even angels can't die from things like heart attacks or car wrecks. They _can_ die from murder or wounds inflicted by another entity, though. Mortals can't hurt or touch entities like demons unless such demon would change their matter to be touched or not. Souls can only touch objects and beings that originate from their home plane. But, souls, except for humans, can alter their matter to allow them to touch and grasp objects and people in opposite planes. If you were to try to hold a rock from Hell, your hand would phase right through it. If that makes sense."

"Does that mean I could wake up one day and fall through my mattress?" Lars brought an example to the table that could help him understand. He made his friend laugh lightly.

Nodding, the demon replied quickly. "Yes, that happened to me. It won't be anytime soon though. If it were to happen, you could simply switch and have the ability to touch middle plane stuff." Suddenly, he held his eyes closed for a few seconds, and then fell through the chair and onto the floor. Although he was still sitting up, the seat went right through him with ease, a greenish hue surrounding the man's figure. "Deities don't have to change their state, though," Vernon spoke again, rising upwards and closing his eyes. At once, he landed on the cushion with a thump. "They can touch any object or soul from any plane. She - ugh, it's something with a E- and Lucy are the only deities that exist here. Yes, gods... She can also do more than fire and water bend, She can just create any sort of matter in Her hands, excluding living organisms like animals or humans. Lucy cannot."

"Why would She make Lucy a deity?" the thought the young mortal blurted out made him confused. Wouldn't She just make him a soul?

Vernon simply shook his head. "She didn't. God made him an angel, along with a few other servants, but when he fell Lucy transformed into a god slowly. It wasn't really like mortal to demon, since deities don't have negative or positive aspects to them. They're just kind of... neutral."

His new coworker didn't know what to say. Well, he didn't really have anything to say. It was all so overwhelming, and he almost felt like he had a foot in two vastly different worlds.

For what purpose, though? Why was Lars, a stupid dork in love with drama, chosen out of all the people possible for this position? There were definitely humans more qualified than him. Psychics, Harvard graduates, tough douche stereotypes that were meant to be monsters straight from Hell...

"What... who chooses fate?" muttered the young man, his stuttering voice lingering with fear.

Pausing, the demon had to process Lars's query. It was powerful, at least to him.

"No one really knows," Vernon said, blinking. "Fate chooses itself. Demons can't control it, mortals can't affect it, and deities certainly can't influence it." He shrugged, letting the mortal think about his response.

A few seconds passed, and the man at the desk only sighed, nodding solemnly and tapping his fingers on the polished surface of his working space. Glancing up at his coworker, he ushered him to finish speaking, "G-Go on."

_What more is there... What else..._ Luckily, another topic popped into the demon's mind as he tried to think, tapping his feet. "Yes, um, Deceiver Enterprises is a corporation mainly associated in Hell that manages deals, trades, and auctions of the souls that reside in Hell. Basically, if someone wants to trade their soul or something else of high importance to them in exchange for another piece of merchandise, they come to us and we help them. We also assist with soul handling and ownership, along with a separate department of demons and poltergeists that do services up here, like haunts and keeping everything balanced, exterminating creatures that thrive on the middle plane and harvesting them for later use."

"All the paperwork you and I do is just files and contracts and Lucy is not able to finish himself. We're gradually moving into the earthly plane, and this is one of our steps to being the first between Heaven to come directly into contact with mortals that are still alive," Vernon told the human, which made him listen in. "It's pretty revolutionary, but God and Her saint gang are gonna be all up on us soon."

Lars wanted to audibly express his awe, but kept quiet. Everything being thrown at him was amazing once he could understand it. His chief's backstory, all the different ranks and abilities, Heaven and Hell... Well, it at least made him excited.

He wanted to ask if he would ever hunt down ghosts on the middle plane as a demon, but didn't. The young man always overestimated himself, and he would probably get too scared to capture beings. Besides, he would rather do all the boring paperwork than exterminate some dangerous poltergeist. Or just talk to Lucy for the rest of eternity.

"That seems about it, Lars," spoke his colleague, adjusting himself in his chair. "Do you have any more questions?"

Sitting up, the mortal shook his head. "I'm all good, Vernon. Thanks a l-lot! It's all super interesting," Lars grinned, watching as the man returned his smile and stood to his feet.

"Sure thing!" Vernon assured him, "I'm sure you'll get to know more and understand it all as you keep showin' up here." They both chuckled, before the helpful demon returned to his office and the young actor's peculiar eyes fell on the stack of papers that sat on his desk.

Lars stared at his assignments for what felt like an hour. So many terms and names and ideas cluttered his mind, and he could barely focus on his task at hand. He'd gotten himself deep into a hellish rabbit hole in just a couple of days.


	8. Alright, This is Getting Weird

A few weeks had passed since Lars was hired at Deceiver Enterprises. So far, all was well. The young man was getting work done, gaining hours, and befriending other workers. Most importantly, to him at least, was the fact that he was getting to know the sketchy, but lovable administrator more and more each day.

It wasn't really a romance, but something was budding between the two. Companionship? Intimacy? Only time would tell.

But now, his first meeting (in the earthly plane) had arrived. Mirroring Lars's office was a conference room, and all of the employees had received an email from the entity. This made the newest worker excited when he opened his inbox.

_"Hello,_

_Today, we will be holding a meeting in the conference room (19). All employees are expected to arrive at ten o'clock. You do not need to bring anything with you._

_See you there,_

_Lucy"_

Lars had also collected an additional email from the being, describing his assignments for the day. There was paperwork on his desk, and some documents of the same stuff that needed to be typed out and sent back to him at the end of the day. He'd get the papers done just fine, but the young man was looking forward to the upcoming meeting.

His boss didn't provide any explanation of what the gathering would be about or what topics or issues would be discussed, and Lars assumed the other employees were already aware of the small assembly's purpose.

Suddenly, the dork felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw it was a text from Vernon, one of his colleagues he was introduced to on his first day. The worker had given Lars his number in case he needed anything or had any questions about their work.

"Hey, do you know what the today's meeting is about by chance?"

The message left him puzzled. He didn't know? Maybe it was wrong of Lars to guess the others would know. Typing hastily, he thought up a reply in an instant.

"No, but I thought you would... ???"

It took a few seconds for Vernon to respond. The newer worker grew a bit worried, to say the least.

"I don't think it's anything major, but Lucy usually tells us what they're about. I dunno man."

Lars sighed lightly before typing a simple "ok" and tapping send. He set his phone on his glossy desk and began to read the documents that were sent to him by the big bad being in the back of the building.

 

 

The time for the conference rolled around eventually. Time passed by like a sloth traveling across a boardwalk on a giant tortoise, and it usually felt like the contrary to Lars. Maybe it was because he was slightly on edge due to the ominous statement from his chief, but he really didn't know.

Trotting into the hall and opening the door in front of his, Lars was the first to show up to the meeting. It didn't seem to make sense, but the room was in a long, vertical shape, even though it looked to be the same as all the other work spaces in the facility. The flooring was carpeted and the wallpaper was the same Victorian pattern, similar to the boss's office and probably all of the interior of the facility. Positioned in the middle of the room was a long, rectangular wooden table, fashioned with ten swivel chairs on each of its longer sides. Sprawled out on the table were a few papers and pens in front of the seats. At the very end was a large leather chair like the one that sat in the other being's office, and in the regal leather throne sat the entity himself; Lucy.

The mortal immediately sensed the intimidating golden eyes looking towards his weak figure. Lars blushed a bit as he returned the other man's gaze.

"Come sit down, Mr. Argento," offered Lucy, who motioned with a hand to the chair nearest to his own. He was pretty tempted to shoot a wink in the shy mortal's direction, but he stopped himself. The being found enjoyment in teasing and toying with his newest hireling, but he toned it down at times to avoid torturing the human that was so invested in him.

Nodding and grinning pathetically, the young man walked towards the chair closest to his boss on his right and sat down promptly. Lars nearly opened his mouth to ask the other man a question, but held it back. He quickly came to the conclusion that it wasn't a very smart decision to inquire about the strange meeting, so he kept his mouth shut, folding his hands on the cold table.

Awkward silence plagued them both, even though the figure at the end of the table was focused on the door that mirrored him instead of the transient sack of meat and useless emotion that sat on his side. Lars acted the opposite, his attention locked on his boss even though he peered at the entrance to the room he would soon see the other people - if they even were people - that served in the offices for Lucy come in through and join the meeting.

Out of the blue, the door opened. This alerted Lars and shifted his focus fully to the entrance, and whoever would be trotting in shortly.

A human-like figure stood at the end of the room. They looked to be male, and human... well, aside from a set of long, horizontal red horns emerged from his temples, the same place as the other worker's horns grew from that Lars had been introduced to before. Otherwise, the man was tall and had a tough-looking build, broad shoulders and more than a bit of muscle to his arms and chest. His face was diamond shaped, his black hair pointed upwards in the front and grown long in the back, styled to be flared up as well. The man's cheeks and jawline bared a few hairs, but he certainly had much less facial hair than his chief. He also a Greek nose, cold, gray eyes, and dark furrowed eyebrows. He wore a leather jacket over a loose white tee, jeans, and steel toe black boots. To sum it all up, the look the guy gave wasn't what Lars found very approachable.

In spite of the worker's aggressive demeanor, Lucy addressed him calmly. "Welcome, Mr. Vondarski," spoke the being, a smirk pulling at his mouth. "This is Lars, our newest recruit. Lars, this is Hunter." The 'newest recruit' watched as Hunter walked over to the chair reflecting his own, listening to the being beside him. Eyeing each other, dull gray met a bold brown and icy blue.

They all sat in silence for a few minutes that seemed like hours to Lars. The pressuring man in front of the mortal had parted his gaze from the pathetic nerd and glimpsed at his administrator, who looked back. Lars noticed they gazed at each other for so long, it was almost like they were speaking to one another silently, maybe even discussing something they needed to hide from the new employee in their minds, somehow. Whatever it was, the only human in the room felt a shiver slink down his spine.

 

 

Soon enough, all of the workers at Deceiver Enterprises had come in and sat down, no seat lacking a person. They all were... unique, but some were more pleasant than others. Vernon, a familiar face, said hello before sitting next to the mortal, and another being had showed kindness towards Lars. Her name was Lilith, she had told him when they were introduced. She was Caucasian, shorter than him, and shaped like a Honeysuckle apple, bearing short brown hair dyed to fade into an aqua blue ombre. Her long acrylic nails (which matched the color of her hair) tapped against the table softly as she sat next to Vernon, sitting up and chatting with the demon beside her. She wore an aquamarine lipstick shade, and all of the cool colors she wore went with her ridged, hartebeest-like horns, that came from the same spot as the others's and stood out due to their bright blue coloring. Her gold nose ring and wire glasses shined in the bright lights of the conference room, along with her bright smile.

Additionally, Jax had referred his newest coworker with a respectful and enthusiastic tone in his voice. He was probably half an inch taller than his boss and was very slim and lanky. Just like Lars, he was quite soft-spoken and quiet, but he didn't mind socializing in the work setting. Jax was of Native American descent and wore a colorful, heavily patterned sweater and khakis, even though it was getting hotter and hotter in SoCal as summer droned on. Similar to nearly every worker in the building, he had a pair of horns, but they were charcoal black in color and quite runty, like an oribi's. Lastly, he had silky black hair that was cut short and styled into a side part look, the same color as his little horns.

The other employees came in all different shapes, sizes, and colors, but all of them had a set of horns. Some were long and slim like an antelope's, some were curved like a kudu's, and others were short and thicker like a mighty bull's. No matter their thickness or position, Lars was intimidated and frightened by each and every one. They even made him just a bit curious. Would he end up growing horns? Were his coworkers mortals turned entities or born demons? He'd probably never understand being reproduction, even if it was ever described to him.

Finally, the big man up front orated them all once they were in the room and settled in. Every one of Lucy's workers kept their backs away from the rest of their chairs and their eyes on the chief of the building, fully attentive to what would be discussed and brought to the table by him. "I can tell- Ugh, why am I sugarcoating it- I _know_ you're all quite confused and maybe a little curious concerning the topic, or reason, of the conference at hand. You don't need to worry or fret about the news I've received recently; you're all capable of staying completely calm."

News? What... _news_? Whatever Lars was told not to worry about, he was definitely going to feel troubled about it. His first week and there was already a problem?

Thinking for a moment, the young man stepped back. He couldn't worry immediately about whatever was at their hands. The being next to him hadn't even started to explain what they were potentially dealing with. It could be a ladybug infestation, allergies, or their corporation being overrun by Monarch butterflies and sleepy kittens.

Lars always lied to himself, but he never believed him.

At once, the entity in the leather throne began to speak again, interjecting the mortal's anxiety-ridden thoughts. "About a few days ago, I was informed that the Seraphs have advanced and found methods to transfer onto the earthly plane and communicate with the mortals that dwell here, just as we can."

Looking around obliviously, the newest employee observed the reactions of the other workers. Most of them seemed unnerved or scared, but Hunter... he seemed absolutely enraged. His apathetic gray eyes actually showed some anger, his hands bawling into fists and his emotionless mouth forming into a frown.

The man mirroring Lars became so frustrated, he could almost visualize smoke rising from his broad shoulders. Looking away in fear, he briefly glanced at Vernon, who had a bit of a panicked expression. Uh oh.

"Before you ask what we plan to do about them, I've got a simple answer. Nothing!" announced Lucy, throwing his hands up and shrugging. As the mortal peered around the room once more, he could see some of his coworkers wanted to gasp, their jaws dropped. "We're going to do absolutely nothing about them. Why? They have not proven or shown to be a threat to us. They haven't damaged anything we own or challenged us just yet. Although I expect them to, they haven't just yet and I'd rather not start trouble. We all long for peace between us and them and have for years. Maybe, they'll leave us alone."

Of course, the only human was quite confused about what his absorbing chief was blabbering about and the whole supernatural bargain he was thrown into, but he could put two and two together that something like angels or... things, whatever from Heaven had come to Earth, just like the demons surrounding him had passed over. It must've been a big problem, too, as seen from his colleague's reactions to the news.

What had Lars gotten himself into?

Suddenly, Hunter opened his mouth. "Sir, are you sure that's the right decision? If they have the power to enter the mortal plane, they have the power to do something disastrous. Those feathered pests have already driven us into shambles and near failure!" he sneered. Lars expected fire to bellow from his jaws, but words managed to come out instead.

Lucy gave him a look that could burn a hole in even the toughest of crooks or criminals. Without even saying anything, he seemed to somewhat set the demon straight. For now, at least.

The way their administrator responded to Hunter's rebuttal kept them quiet, too. All the beings remained in somber silence, some of them shifting in their seats and diverting their gaze away from the two up front. Lars fidgeted a bit, too. He sure didn't know what all of it meant, but it was frightening.

"You're all dismissed," the boss broke the brief silence that filled the room. The demons stood and left the room promptly, a few whispering to each other. Lars followed, noticing out of the corner of his eye that the being in the leather chair he adored so much took a gander at him for just a split-second. He grew cold as the honey yellow eyes were laid upon him, but at the same time his face heated up in shyness.

Not even God could help them now. Why would She, anyways?

 

 

Vernon had spoke to the mortal about the possibility of beings from Heaven finding out about their progress, but they'd already made their way onto Earth. Lars grew fearful whenever he thought about it too much. He wondered how Lucy could be feeling... Nothing good, probably stressed. He most likely needed comfort and to relieve some of that pressure. Visualizing it made temptations creep up his back and into his mind.

He needed to do work! It was his first priority. But break time was soon, and perhaps they could just chat for a few minutes, he could stop by... _No!_ Lars hissed to himself, frustrated. His heart and his mind were fighting viciously, and he didn't like it one bit.

Oh, what was he to do? The young mortal had a foot in two contrasting worlds, and he was absolutely torn between love and his job, even though they were both lumped together like a lopsided ball of clay that was made from two totally different colors mashed together forcefully. If that makes any sense.

Whatever Lars had gotten himself into couldn't be undone. There was no turning back from here.

 

 

A knock laid upon his heavy door made Lucy briefly glance away from the glowing monitor of his computer. "Come in," he told his expected visitor, looking back at the screen before the door opened. It was Hunter, checking in with his boss about the work he had accomplished with his coworkers in the past week.

"Hello, sir," the demon greeted him, pulling out the chair that was already set in front of Lucy's desk and plopping into it. The entity turned to face him, awaiting the news he would speak of, although he knew exactly what his loyal worker was going to discuss. "We've managed to banish a few lingering spirits that made it up here, but nothing major. A Hellhound got loose, but it didn't come into contact with any mortals..."

"The angels came across it, yes?" Lucy finished his thought, twirling a loose strand of his hair around one of his fingers. His employee was hesitant to admit it, but he had forgotten the being was already aware. Hunter only nodded, gulping quietly.

The demon anticipated his chief to become angry, but the being only sat there, still. "Lucy, what is our plan involving the angels? What are we going to do with them?" he almost demanded in a concerned tone. "We've got to do _something_ about them soon."

"I've already told you," his boss huffed, "we aren't doing anything for the moment. Relax, please. They haven't shown themselves to be a threat just yet. I'm trying to not stress about it, kid." Lucy turned away from the man and towards his computer once the subject had changed to a topic he was attempting to keep off of his mind. Whenever he thought of the people of Heaven and his dark past he could feel his stomach churn.

Hunter fidgeted in his chair. He knew the administrator and his long time friend would respond this way, but he wanted more. He longed to ravage or beat up a saint or two more than anything. The demon's feelings weren't out of revenge or frustration, he just had a burning hatred for the over positive, goody-two-shoes angels and beings that lingered in the top plane. They disgusted him, and the fact that the league of demons instructed and assembled by Lucy wasn't doing squat about their existence on the earthly plane made him enraged.

But of course, he didn't show it. He buried his anger, trying his best to never show it. When he did, it never ended well.

"Keep up your work with getting rid of the pests up here, alright?" Lucy interrupted the silence that had engulfed the room as his employee thought to himself and his boss stared at the bright monitor. "You may go." Standing at once, Hunter pushed the chair in and headed out of the tight room. It was almost like smoke would begin rising from his splay shoulders.

At the door, his eyes shot down to a figure that stood just outside the entity's office. The man that stood before Hunter looked as if he could pick him up and snap him in two over his knee, lacked horns, and stared at him with mismatch colored eyes. Lars.

"What's your beef?" the taller figure grunted, furrowing his eyebrows. His growl washed the puny mortal with dread, and he looked away, his dainty hands beginning to shake. "I-I... I was going to talk to Lucy," whimpered the weaker nerd, who stepped back in submission. Hunter's eyes burned into the human, choler boiling in his chest, before he nearly pushed the man in front of him out of the way and shuffling to his office.

Watching as the demon stomped to his work space and slammed the door behind him, Lars jumped in surprise before turning around to face his boss's door. Lars gaped at the shiny plaque that was plastered to the large, wooden entrance. _Lucy._

Lars let out a trembling sigh as he gripped the chilly door handle, turning it and bracing himself for whatever was to come next.


	9. Making a Move on the Mortal

Lucy hadn't known anything like love since he was a young soul.

Even though he was created from stardust for the sole purpose of being a love interest, the being's very first relationship wasn't so loving. Him and God were created to be soulmates, but what occurred would be one of the only circumstances in which fate would be broken.

At the beginning of everything, there was only God. She was beautiful, the mother of all things. All things holy, that is.

She was alone, as the universe was quite empty. So She splashed and painted Her empty canvas with marvelous colors, stars, and clouds of above; space. But Her now dappled and shining world was just as empty as before, except She'd sprinkled some confetti and glitter that made up gases and fire and stars. As time went on, God slowly formed the many systems of planets and homes for Her children around the vast, immense mural that was space.

And in Her third favorite group lied Earth, one of Her proudest creations. The planet was habitable and burst with life She made. Animals, and so many of them. These organisms were adorable in Her eyes, but unlike humans, they didn't do idiotic things or had the ability to speak, which made spawning animals one of God's favorite duties of being who She was.

But what was even more of a blessing at the time was bringing humans into existence. They were pure while they lasted, but these unique creations were what God saw Herself in the most. She was humanoid, and She modeled the Earth inhabitants off of Herself.

Alas, for every positive comes a negative. Humans turned out to be a ton of work to look after and nurture, and She knew from the start that some sort of companion or partner would be needed to pull it off.

So, Lucy was made.

The man was everything God wanted in a human, but he wasn't mortal. She gave him many privileges and abilities that would place him above the humans, but lower than his new lover. And She was a sorry excuse for a lover.

At first, Lucy and his creator got along just fine. They helped each other and affection was shown, however the second entity only conceived their bond as platonic companionship and nothing else. But as usual, God wanted more.

God began flirting more and more with her accomplice, receiving no reciprocation whatsoever. Her advances made Lucy a little uncomfortable, but he couldn't really tell Her that. He wouldn't want to deal with whatever kind of reaction She would have towards his true feelings. So instead, the second being played along.

Of course, the deity was aware he didn't truly accept Her coquettish ways, thus She kept up with it. To put it bluntly, She didn't care. Lucy would subdue to Her eventually.

But as She forced Herself on her assistant, he became discouraged in his work with God. Their creations were advancing rapidly, but he slowly felt like he was unable to take care of himself due to his new lover. Even if Lucy was treated well by Her, he wouldn't share the feelings that She had for him.

As Her companion started to fall from from his work and become distant, She got more than a little frustrated and brought a few more souls like Lucy into existence. Together, the group of beings lived on the top plane, which would eventually become Heaven.

Lucy tried to please her as much as he could, but with every word or touch he felt even more pressured and detest for himself. He wanted to run or somehow get away from his partner, but that wasn't an option.

Indubitably, God's now long time friend obviously didn't subdue or give in to his lover the way She longed for. Finally, She let her frustration out in the form of hollering and discouragement, and even slaps and maltreatment. She had at least expressed her undying hate for her own creation, and Lucy couldn't even fight back.

Their affair lasted for centuries, until all Hell had broke out between the two and the worst of it belatedly crashed upon them. God banished Her so-called soulmate from their plane for the rest of eternity, and in a fiery disaster, Lucy fell into the very bottom plane, his healthy skin and beautiful wings torched off, along with his hope for ever being happy again.

Why? He was gay.

And from then on, She despised people like him and he was stranded in the Underworld, terrified of loving again. If it went so bad the first time, would it be any better the second?

From the ground up, Lucy devised all of Hell and Deceiver Enterprises. He could barely trust anyone, not even his long time employees, and he kept to himself most of the time. The entity, now deity found talking to anyone quite the challenge, and words like _angel_ or _heaven_ could take him back to places he'd rather stay away from.

 

 

Lucy was having a rather bad few days as of recent, but to hear a knock on his office door from a unexpected but expected guest made him light up a bit. "Come on in," he said casually, beginning to grin only slightly.

Gulping, the newbie entered his chief's office with hesitation. "Hey, sir," Lars gathered the courage to exchange his greetings first, even stopping himself from stuttering. "I just wanted to stop by for a little bit."

"Sounds fine with me," his boss grinned, motioning for his employee to sit at his desk. Managing to return the smile, the young mortal stepped towards the chair and began to tremble slightly. _Stay calm. Stay calm._

The supernatural administrator knew he had finished his work for the day, and didn't plan to give him any more. They both enjoyed being around each other than doing the hefty loads of paperwork that they shared the burden of. "What brings you here, Lars?"

"I got d-done with all my work and just thought I'd stop by," he responded rather quickly, even though it would've usually taken a little while for him to come up with an answer. "I hope you don't mind."

Lucy chuckled subtly. "Of course not. You're alright," he gave him an indifferent shrug. He found his worker's tendency to stutter cute. "I mean, I'd much rather chat with you than do my work. Don't you feel the same?" his smug grin turned into a smirk, a taunting glint in his eyes.

"Yup!" laughed the mortal, a bit of a nervous tone in his voice. The deity's glimpse made him want to melt into a puddle. He was immediately enthralled in the man that sat in front of him, but Lars tried his hardest to hide it. They had just met, and he couldn't let himself get too clingy, or let him know...

Oh, wait... Lucy knew everything.

Lucy already knew Lars was in love with him.

Once the realization hit the human, it struck him like a bullet. Or fifty bullets. He wanted run straight out of the room, through the hall, and out on the street, with not one thought of turning back. The unforgettable, dreadful memory of when his first crush discovered his feelings...

He was a long time friend, they'd been companions since third grade. Lars and he both enjoyed Harry Potter, Pokemon, and extremely complicated Lego sets. The two hung out almost every weekend, and joined clubs together as they grew. When Lars had first developed feelings for his friend, he started to question himself, and his buddy actually made him realize he was gay. The only problem that arose was that his long-time pal was as straight as a wooden ruler, and he wasn't the most accepting person. Once word got out, he practically ditched Lars and stopped talking to him completely. He didn't reply to his texts, answer his calls, or even look at him during school. Once graduation rolled around, his friend ended up with a free trip to Harvard, and they never spoke again.

Every time the situation came to Lars's mind, he wished for nothing more to not exist. It was embarrassing, heartbreaking, and crushing to think about, and there were times where he couldn't get it off of his mind.

What if this happened with Lucy? Lars felt sick. What if his boss frowned upon him, or even fired him? No, he wouldn't. _It'll be okay._

As much as the young worker wanted to flee, he didn't. Maybe Lucy would give him a chance. It seemed like the being didn't care, and his last relationship wasn't the best. It was fate.

While Lars dug deep through his thoughts and worries, his administrator tried not to stare at him. He was aware of the way his employee had now felt and wanted to comfort him, but the entity held himself back. _Just give him time._ Lucy felt bad for the human, as it must've been hard on him. It was, and he knew that.

Facing his computer, Lars's boss began typing away at the keyboard hastily. The mortal snapped back into reality immediately, blinking. "Sorry, I got distracted," he apologized for his sudden silence, scratching the back of his neck and laughing anxiously.

"You're fine," his boss nodded, shifting his leather chair to look at the mortal once again. "Do you like your job here so far?"

Lars watched as the god sat back in his chair and awaited feedback, folding his hands on his desk. "Yes. It's easy, and my coworkers a-aren't hard on me or anything," he spoke a little more quieter. He was being honest, but still was a little shy when it came to talking to his commander.

"That's great. You're doing very well," Lucy smiled. He was sorta proud of the mortal for some reason, even though when Vernon had been hired as a human he did the same. It was a strange bit of attachment- no, not exactly attachment- but fondness for his newest recruit that made the being appreciate Lars more than his other loyal workers that came to Deceiver Enterprises as humans. "Paper work isn't everyone's thing, but you're pretty efficient."

The sudden praise from the heartthrob made the mortal light up. "Thank you, sir!" he grinned widely, his distinct eyes glimmering with cheer. He felt as if his heart was going to explode as he sat there, and the lump of blood and muscle beat faster when the being returned his delighted look.

"You're very welcome, Mr. Argento," countered Lucy, chuckling. "You deserve it. How's Volatile?"

Not minding the topic change, Lars had to come up with an answer for just a few seconds. "He's good. Do you have any pets?" the young man retorted, surprised his chief had pronounced his pet's name correctly.

"Actually, yes," he nodded. "I have a dog back at home, Angus. I have guard dogs in front of my home too, Vegas and Reno. They're all just fine."

The human would probably end up daydreaming about visiting Lucy's house when he went back to his office. "What do you need guard dogs for?" inquired the man at the other end of the desk, tilting his head.

"Nothing, really," Lucy found himself blushing. "They got attached to me and never ceased to come to my aid. I just figured they would be pretty useful if anyone tried to invade my humble abode."

Even though the responses the entity gave weren't all that, his newest recruit was swimming in his boss's words like a endlessly deep ocean. There was just something -no, so many things- about him that made Lars's heart flutter, things that he couldn't explain.

He was surely scared, but the newbie felt like he was in good hands. The administrator was a nice, humble guy with a tough past. Even if he faced rejection, the mortal imagined it as a learning experience. Lucy seemed fond of him, too. He hoped more than anything that all of it would work out... somehow.

"Maybe I s-should train my bird to attack people I hate," Lars joked, making them share a laugh. "Sounds like fun."

Cracking his knuckles, the deity glanced at his computer briefly. "Bring him here and you might land yourself a promotion, Lars." They both chuckled once more. "A skill like that could come in handy, especially when I get demon back talk."

"Would I get a raise if I sic Volatile on Hunter?" the human was proud of the quick joke, and he felt even happier when the man in front of him began to laugh.

Lucy nodded and shot a wink at the mortal. "Definitely," he spoke lowly and with a slight growl, grinning evilly towards his employee. The mortal couldn't help but turn red at the sight of his expression, slowly letting out a nervous laugh.

Similar to Lars's first day, the entity and he gazed into each other's eyes, but for longer. It felt like an eternity. The mortal thought for a moment he was staring into a vat of glistening honey or a bucket of molten, liquid gold. His heart was thumping through his pale skin, but he was completely frozen where he sat.

On the other hand, when the god had met eyes with his worker, everything about Lars came right to him. He didn't know what he was feeling. It was so incredibly strange and new, and he became overwhelmed as he felt his heart rate picking up in a matter of seconds as his vast mind told him everything about his newest assistant. Everything about him was so inexplicably captivating, it left Lucy baffled, but enchanted and hypnotized by the unique eyes that shined in the light of his office.

It took the two a minute to snap back into reality. Lars began to blink and his chief coughed, glancing away quickly. Squirming in his chair, the human of the pair adjusted the collar of his shirt and cleared his throat, feeling his face heat up instantly. _Oh my god. Oh my god..._

Lucy stared at the floor for a few seconds, before he looked back up at his employee. "Are you free Friday night?" he asked abruptly, his hands beginning to quiver.

The offer made the young man even more appalled. "Y-Yes," he mumbled, nodding and taking in a shaky breath. _He was asking him out!_

"Would you be interested in dinner, perhaps?" the being barely got the sentence out, but he managed. He knew Lars would comply regardless. Running his fingers through his hair, the mysterious but lovable entity tapped his foot rapidly, strangely becoming anxious.

As he spoke, the young man sitting in front of him wanted to scream and barrel over the glossy desk in between them. "S-Sure!" exclaimed the human, grinning towards his boss. He was practically shoot through the roof like a glittery rainbow firework.

"Sounds good," chuckled Lucy, who smiled as his worker lit up.

**It was fate.**


	10. Devilish Date

The day had finally come. Lars's dinner with the Devil.

Most certainly, he was ecstatic. The young man had gone to one of the only clothing stores in Stocktown and picked himself up a new outfit, which consisted of another white button up shirt, a black blazer with (fake) golden buttons, and dressy jeans. He'd combed his hair after a refreshing shower, and brushed his teeth for four minutes straight until his gums bled in agony.

Before he left, Lars fed his feathered pet, who had been spoiled when his owner received his paycheck. Aside from the toys bought for Volatile, the human picked up some groceries and a few pieces of furniture; a dresser for his clothes, a nice leather sofa, and a small flat-screen TV. He was feeling pretty confident about his current situation. Whether this tenacity would remain for long was completely unknown to him.

Heading down the stairwell of his apartment building, the mortal checked his phone. Lars had gotten the deity's number shortly after he was asked, and they had briefly discussed over texts about where they would be going, and when. They had decided on a local fancy-ish Italian restaurant at six-thirty on a Friday night, and his date promised he'd be there once the other man had arrived.

Lars departed the building and to his Sedan, the sound of his Oxfords hitting the pavement echoing throughout the parking lot. He started his car quickly, tapping his fingers on the dials of the radio anxiously and popping a mint in his mouth. Hopefully, it would go just like a dream.

While his newest recruit was driving over to the place, the being was getting them both a booth at such restaurant. Lucy knew the human would enjoy the food there, but would have a great time regardless of the food all because of his boss's presence. Instead of his traditional maroon suit, he slipped on a black one that was printed with a golden design of a prowling tiger on the back. His wavy hair was in a long ponytail, a few stray locks hung over his shoulders, and he had a light layer of cologne on over his overwhelming nervousness.

Surprisingly, Lucy found himself to be quite fidgety while he waited. He knew exactly how the date would play out, but he was still unrestful about the whole thing, just like he expected his employee to be. While he attempted to shrug it off, his date finally arrived.

The diner wasn't awfully far from Lars's apartment complex, and he had memorized it so well he didn't need directions from his phone. He parked and jumped out onto the asphalt, whistling out of excitement as he approached the entrance. The building had a modern look, with a small fountain by the door and a few neatly trimmed shrubs in the front.

Once the mortal got in, he quickly neared the booth the being had reserved. It was in the back of the restaurant and it took Lars a few moments to navigate through the crowded tables, but when he saw his chief his eyes lit up.

"Heyo!" he greeted Lucy as he sat down on the other side of their booth, grinning happily. Returning the grin, the other man fixed the collar of his undershirt. "Hello, Lars. You look great."

Blushing, the human looked down at the elegant menus laid on the clothed table in front of them and laughed softly. "You t-too. Is that cologne I smell?" Lars sniffed the air between them. "Fire and brimstone?"

"Precise," the deity chuckled, glancing at the unneeded menu that was placed in front of him. He already knew what he wanted, so he stayed in the position he was in, one hand on the table and the other on his cheek, elbow on the table to hold himself up. "You aren't innocent either. I can smell ya," he joshed, smirking.

The young human opened the carte and skimmed over its drink portion. "It suits you. I wasn't c-complaining," Lars assured his date, feeling his freckled face heat up as he was taunted with. That smirk was just so... beguiling.

"I know, I know. I'm only teasing," laughed Lucy with a shrug. They made eye contact again, but it was broken once a figure hastily trotted towards their booth.

It was a middle aged woman, dressed up in an all black uniform with a plastic looking tray under her arm. She held a small notepad and a pen, her bright red acrylic nails shining in the light of the diner. "Sorry for the wait! I'm Rebecca, I'll be your waitress today," she began, her hazel eyes gazing between the two men. "We'll start off with some drinks."

"I'll take a Merlot, please," the deity ordered quickly, before the woman looked straight at Lars. "Pepsi for me," the smaller of the two answered, taken by surprise. Rebecca began writing on the tiny ringed notebook, nodding at the same speed her pen was fidgeting. "I'll be back with your beverages soon," she smiled towards the pair before shuffling off.

The two men studied each other once again. "You like wine?" the mortal of the two tilted his head and ceased the quiet that fell upon them.

"Yup, have for my entire life. Red wine, specifically," Lucy nodded. "You haven't tried it?"

Lars hadn't, unfortunately. He was only 21 and the only alcohol he had ever tried he loathed once he got a taste. "Nope. Alcohol isn't my thing."

"That's alright. Soda ain't my thing," the being didn't mind too much. He tapped his fingers against the table, gazing at his date and feeling his cheeks go pink. He was growing to like his worker more than before.

As they sat and waited for their drinks, the shyer one of them both was itching to ask his chief about the rather fear-inducing meeting that occurred just a few days prior. Thinking about it made Lars so uneasy, but so morbidly curious at the same time. The entity had said they were going to do absolutely nothing about the beings from Heaven that had traveled onto the middle plane, but he just wanted to know more. What made Hunter so aggressive? Had they dealt with them in the past, therefore his non-human coworkers became fearful? Lars had so many questions he thought he would never get the answers to.

"How have you been feeling as of late, s-sir?"

His inquiry caught Lucy off guard. It wasn't because he was unsure or something, what struck the deity was if he should provide an honest explanation. To put it simply, he wasn't. He feared how his date would react if he told the hard truth, and if he would start bawling in front of the entire human-filled diner.

"I'm fine," sighed Lucy. "You?"

Lars stared at his boss for a few quiet moments, coming up with his own response while looking at him a with a skeptical glint in his eyes. He didn't believe the man for one second. Shifting in his chair, the human spoke again, "Same here. Kind of nervous about everything since I was hired."

"There's no need to be scared, d...!" the being began to assure him, stopping himself as their waitress strolled over to their booth, tray in hand.

With a big grin, Rebecca picked up the delicate wine glass and set it gently in front of the bigger figure. "Here are your drinks," she addressed them both, raising the Pepsi with ease and placing it in front of the fellow mortal. "Can I get you started on your food or do you need a few more minutes?"

"Just the chicken parmigiana, please," Lucy tried his best not to roll his eyes in reaction of being interrupted. The woman nodded, holding her nifty notepad and pen once more. Her eyes trailed to the other man, who looked straight back as she wrote swiftly on the cheap paper without laying her gaze on it. "I'll have the four cheese ziti."

Their waitress wrote as he spoke, before sliding both of the utensils in the pocket of her pants. "We'll have that out in a few minutes, and I'll bring out some breadsticks in the meantime, okay?" Before she could let them reply, Rebecca hurried away and into the kitchen.

The couple looked at each other in silence after she had left. "Jeez, they must be busy..." remarked Lars, getting a laugh out of his chief. "Anyways, you w-were saying?"

After his brief chuckle, Lucy took a sip of his wine and blinked. "Oh, yeah... There's no reason to be nervous about working with us, dear. You'll be completely fine, get out of it with ten fingers, limbs attached, it'll be all good." He was hesitant to utilize the nickname, but it rolled off his tongue regardless.

_Dear._ The human's opposite colored eyes reverted quickly away from the being and to his bubbly drink, of which he took a quick swig of out of embarrassment. "I-I guess..." his voice trailed off as he breathed in, face reddening. He eventually looked back at his date. "It's hard not to be scared, you know?"

"I think I understand," the man mirroring him shrugged, tracing the circular base of his glass with his finger and sighing softly as he comprehended his worker's retort. He sure did understand, but not in the same context.

A gloomy silence enveloped the two as Lars admired the being with a slight frown. It was so hard not to feel bad, as he could easily guess what he was referring to. Shyly, the human raised his trembling hand and placed it on the entity's.

Lucy immediately glanced up at the young man, his cheeks going red as their eyes met. His date refused to blush even the tiniest bit, trying his hardest to show him some sort of comfort or assurance.

Before they could get all emotional and sappy, their burden of a server stopped by their booth and set a basket of warm breadsticks between them. Their eye contact was broken, and they both glanced right at Rebecca, who seemed a little guilty once she realized what had been happening. She quickly trotted away in shame, the pair watching as the woman did so.

Once he fully thought about what he was doing, Lars's hand lurched backwards as he laughed nervously and went pink. He took a soft breadstick from the neat basket and bit into it, avoiding the god's eyes more than ever before.

Lucy was still in shock. His golden eyes met with the color of his wine, what a deep red it was... A lumbering feeling of awkwardness set in between them as the administrator took his glass in his hand and drank the sweet Merlot.

Although the slight discomfort lasted for a few minutes that felt like forever, pleasant auras between the two set in eventually. The supernatural pair found their hands on the same breadstick, which made them both laugh happily.

"Oh, Lucy..." Lars found himself getting a little flirty, "how could our fates be connected? I'm just some unimportant human that loves drama and cute guys. It's weird how _I_ was chosen, out of all people, to work for the Devil himself."

Grabbing another breadstick, the deity shrugged. "I don't know, Lars, but I'm glad whoever or whatever decides fate made ours like this," he gave his worker a genuine smile, then biting into the bread in his palm.

Lars returned the grin, his eyes shining. "Me too."

 

 

After a bit of a long wait, the couple's food came, and they enjoyed dinner together, even sharing a dessert and talking for a few hours. Truly, they both longed to sit there and laugh and speak with each other for the whole night, but the restaurant would be closing soon and it was getting late.

Wiping a bit of food from his mouth with a cloth napkin, Lars watched as his partner payed their bill and signed his name. "Hey, uh..." the mortal began slowly. "Do you n-need a ride home?"

As he said it, Lucy's employee realized how stupid it sounded. Anyways, he obliged. "Not necessarily, but I'd be delighted if we went back to your apartment."

The young man felt his face go red. "S-Sure!" he exclaimed, no matter how embarrassed he felt.

"Sounds good!" the god rose to his feet, stepping out of the booth. Doing the same, he and Lars headed towards the front of the diner and out into the parking lot. It was still light outside, and a chilly breeze wouldn't come at this time for a least a few more months. Falteringly, the taller man got ahold of his date's shaky hand as they walked to his car, making both of their faces share a similar shade of red.

They parted ways briefly before Lars got into the drivers seat, and the other man plopped into the passenger's. As he sat on the leather seats, Lucy bumped his head on the ceiling of the Sedan, grunting. "Yowch!"

Lars tried to hold back his laughter. Grumbling, his boss rubbed his head in annoyance, glaring at the human. "Watch it," he taunted jokingly as his worker started up the vehicle.

"Sorry, I couldn't help it!" his giggling died off, the smaller figure pulling out of his parking space and into the street. "Did you like your parmigiana?"

His boss nodded, adjusting his chair so that he could fit properly in the small car. "Yes, the food was fine. Our waitress was... something else, though."

"Agreed," chortled the driver. "I don't think its her thing."

The fruity taste of Merlot remained in Lucy's mouth. "Definitely. Did you enjoy your meal?" he asked, grinning towards the mortal. He was certainly growing on him.

"Of course! I'd probably love it if the food was absolute garbage, but you were there," Lars said, keeping his eyes on the road but sensing that his phantom of a lover was giving him that bright smile of his.

Blushing only a little, the being looked out of his window. "Awww," he laughed slightly, unbuttoning his suit and letting it loosen up. He was getting awfully hot, and in concern, the human beside him turned on the air conditioning. After all, he was beginning to heat up as well.

"Thanks," Lucy sat back and relaxed, letting the cold air cool him off. After a few minutes, he realized he could've just made himself a little cooler, but he didn't bother. He almost felt like he was truly at peace, sitting back, taking in the little bit of warmth, and admiring his employee that he had made out to adore so much.

A fitting quiet fell over the pairing, and the deity found himself almost dozing off, which was something that he didn't do often. He let out a nearly inaudible sigh, tempted to grab his partner's hand again, but he didn't want to distract the dork of a driver that sat next to him.

After only a few minutes, Lars was already pulling into the parking lot that lay on the earth in front of his apartment complex. He parked in a free space nearest to the door and shut off the car, looking towards his boss. Their eyes met once again, the two's faces going pink.

"You said you w-wanted to come to my apartment?" asked the mortal shyly. He wanted to look away, but refused.

The chief sat up and nodded. "If you don't mind, Lars. It's up to you."

"Let's go, then!" Lars giggled, getting out of his car and dashing to the entrance of the building happily. His date followed after him quickly, laughing along with him. He got the door for the shorter figure, and the couple made it to his living space in a flash.

Once Lucy had stepped into his employee's apartment, he slipped off his shoes and began looking around, floating only half a inch above the ground instead of walking.

"I-It's not much..." mumbled the other man, who walked towards his pet's cage and reached to open his cage for dinner. Volatile began staring deeply at the floating being in fear, going stiff where he sat perched on the little wire in the middle of his cage. Lars started to feed his bird, until he lurched back as the cockatoo sprung out of the wired prison.

Ruffling his wings and squawking loudly, Volatile threw himself towards his owner's partner, who immediately turned to face the bird and dodged the feathered torpedo that was flying at him. Hastily realizing he missed his target, the angered bird suspended in mid air and held his body weight up surprisingly well. Surprised, Lucy gazed at his worker's pet calmly and began speaking to it, lowering onto the Berber carpet.

Lars held back a gasp as he watched, and wanted to scold Volatile as he got to his feet but regretted that thought once he saw what they were both doing. Without tension, the god held his hand up and the bird landed on his finger, and they both looked back towards the human.

"I'm really sorry, Lucy! I-I didn't know he'd attack you like that!" he approached them, a concerned tone in his voice despite the fact that he figured his administrator didn't care.

Shrugging, Lucy glanced back at the cockatoo briefly before the white bird jumped from his finger and flew around without causing any mischief. "It's alright. Animals here will do that, they're not used to seeing the paranormal."

"Still, its rude," the shorter man replied. "I wouldn't want to go to some mortal's trashy apartment and get assaulted by their psycho pet bird if I were you!" His snarky remark made them both laugh.

Volatile raised upwards and perched himself atop the cabinets in the kitchen part of his owner's apartment. "What do you want to do? There's not a lot of o-options..." Lars looked up at the being, tilting his head slightly.

"I dunno. We could watch something on the TV... or we could just sit and talk," Lucy's honey eyes trailed from the mortal to his couch. His date did the same, and strolled over to the fancy little settee.

Lars promptly plopped onto the leather cushion, and began to laugh as his boss rose up from the ground and flew towards the sofa like the bird, crashing into it before sitting up against the arm rest on the opposite side of the mortal and facing him. "You're silly."

"Me? _Silly?_ " Lucy heaved dramatically. "How _dare_ you, puny mortal! Say another word and I'll curse your weak soul!" He tried to keep a serious tone as he joked, but when the so-called puny mortal began to snicker and laugh, so did he.

The pair chuckled together for a few more moments, admiring the other from where they sat. "You're only p-proving my point!" the human said with a giddy smile.

"Whatever," the god pouted falsely, sticking his tongue out in defiance. Lars continued to laugh lightly before he noticed something peculiar; his date's tongue was split, like a snake but not as long and slim. Lucy immediately knew he'd saw it.

Once the other man had been found out, he blushed. "N-Nice tongue," he stuttered in embarrassment, making his date smirk.

"Thanks," his chief teased, showing his pearly white fangs in his sneer. "Glad ya like it, kid."

Wow. Lars was unsure of how to respond. He tried to come up with some sort of question or conversation starter, but he just couldn't. Why was he hitting a mental road block now? That wasn't good... and from there he went, becoming nervous and worried in a matter of seconds.

"Hey, don't get nervous," Lucy took note of the sudden tension that set in. "It's alright, Lars. We don't have much to talk about, but that's okay." The being gave him a soft smile and got closer to his date, slowly taking the human's dainty wrist in his hand.

Eye contact was made between the couple once again, and for even longer. As usual, their cheeks went red, and Lars's became even more shaded as he felt his boss's hand trail from his wrist down to his hand. He returned the strong grip of the being's hand and closed his eyes, leaning against him affectionately.

Lucy was a little surprised about how touchy the worker was getting on their first date, but he didn't mind at all. He let go of the mortal's hand and his arm wrapped around the other's torso, and he found his spare hand caught in his date's fragile but warm grip, blushing even more once he felt Lars's hand grasped upon his.

The two sat there together for what felt like centuries (which was actually the whole night), both of them eventually dozing off in the snuggle. It was Heaven for them, ironically.


End file.
